on one hand you have, obama is one of 17 american presidents to be elected to a second term, and yet we really understand now in some respects the illusions of the power of the second term president. to have another nominee, perhaps the president's preferred candidate for the pentagon, secretary of defense, premptively challenged is remarkable and extraordinary. one other point that needs to be made regardless of who becomes secretary of defense, barack obama is most withholding president since richard nixon. there's no question about that. all power on the consequential issues of war and peace, afghanistan, iraq, the war on terror, big think strategy in iran, the israeli palestinian peace process, during his first term came in and out of the white house. secretary clinton, we'll never know whether she could be a consequential great secretary of state because the presidential essentially dominates. he does not delegate. and the reality is both at state and defense, the interesting question will be it seems to me on whether or not in the second term the president will allow his nation